[caption id="attachment_4249" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Stroke"]
[/caption]Carol Forsloff - “The
tremendous number of strokes projected has large personal, social and
economic consequences for the United States,” said Shawnita
Sealy-Jefferson, M.P.H., an investigator at the School of Public Health
at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
This
dramatic statement came during the International Stroke Association
conference today. Small news? Not all, according to the thesis
presented by this group. The fact is stroke cases are increasing
rapidly, especially among Hispanics.
A
study presented today tells us the rate of strokes among
Mexican-Americans is expected to rise 350 percent from 2010 to 2050.
The rate of increase among non-Hispanic whites is anticipated to rise
75 percent in that same period.
According
to the American Stroke Association, stroke accounts for one out of
every 18 deaths and is the third leading cause of death in the country.
Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death. It is, however, the
long-term health problems, the disabilities caused by stroke that
impacts the costs of health care. It is seen as potentially having
devastating impact on the budgets of major health programs.
Diabetes is a risk factor for stroke.
This underlying disease, found at the core of many stroke patients, is
also growing at a rapid rate, as is heart disease. These triple plays
of stroke, heart disease and diabetes will
play out for years to come. They tell us this news is important enough
to take proper precautions and warn like experts warn about weather
emergencies so people take action today. It is news heard before, but
the numbers dramatically increase, as the recent study points out.
That’s why it is important right now.
Health
experts say pay attention. This is a tsunami health warning. It isn’t
a wave, or a wind passing through. It is you and me, kid, for those
reaching middle age and over. But ischemic attacks, that impact the
young, are rising in rates as well.
So
what’s the answer. We’ve heard it before. Fruits, vegetables and
exercise are on that plate of prevention. Still there is more, much
more to the problems faced. It’s an attitude that says there’s a
future, and to secure it individually means to eat right to avoid
diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
Experts at the International Association meeting today underlined what needs to happen, in the press release schedule of abstracts.
“Efforts
to prevent stroke and reduce stroke-related disability in both
Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic whites are critical,” said Lynda D.
Lisabeth, Ph.D., M.P.H.,co-author and associate professor, Department of
Epidemiology, University of Michigan. “Lifestyle changes can reduce
one’s risk for stroke.”
More
research is also needed to understand the excess burden among
Mexican-Americans, she said. “Further study of stroke in
Mexican-Americans may clarify new intervention targets. Our group is
currently targeting stroke prevention through Catholic churches, which
might be a novel setting for successful intervention in
Mexican-Americans.”
This recent study was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Co-authors are :Devin L. Brown, M.D., M.S.; Lewis B. Morgenstern, M.D.; and Melinda A. Smith, Dr.P.H., M.P.H.
